The teaching portfolio: institutional imperative or teacher’s personal journey by Mary Anne FitzPatrick and Dorothy Spiller The article describes a research that was done by Mary Anne FitzPatrick and Dorothy Spiller as a result of three distressed and irritated tertiary teachers’ response to their own experience. The teachers became “learners” when they committed to a postgraduate course of study to tertiary teaching. The three teachers were part of a small group studying toward the Postgraduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching at the University of Waikato in Newzealand. One of the assessment activities was to complete a teaching portfolio which could be used for career purposes and professional development. The teachers taught in different departments of the university and had offices along the same hallway. The three teachers were friends and shared teaching techniques among themselves. They decided to support each other and study in the same program. Each of the three found the portfolio as a challenging task but dealt with it differently. One felt harassed and opposed to it and as a result dealt with it by getting it finished as soon as possible. The second felt confused and anxious and the third felt terrified and frustrated. Both of them struggled longer than the first and for many days but at the end they managed to construct a portfolio. After they finished their portfolios they were very happy and saw that they were good teachers and people. They also noticed things that can help them become better teachers but they were puzzled by how emotionally powerful and strong it was. One teacher confessed her anger to the developer teacher and this is how the research began. The objectives of the research: - To consider the implications of teacher emotions for the ways in which teaching portfolios are used in tertiary teaching programs and institutions. - To explore how such portfolios might be designed to accommodate the emotional aspect of professional development and enable authentic teacher growth. The Participants: - Eight participants in the postgraduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching. - Two of them were of the three mentioned before. - Six women and two men - Represented a range tertiary teaching contexts from science to nursing. The eight participants were asked to complete teaching portfolios which present both summative information about teaching achievements and reflection on their experience and development as teachers. In addition they were asked to write personal narratives about their experiences. Using narrative was based on the intention to better understand the individual experience of compilation and collection of the portfolio. Method: established qualitative methods. First narratives and portfolios were read thoroughly, and then data were categorized according to the labels. The different categories were analyzed for common themes, metaphors and so on. This step led to the identification of the general theme relating emotions in the participants’ experiences. Findings and Discussion: There were variations in how participants shaped their teaching portfolios and how they expressed their experiences. This creates a background that help more understand how they lived their teaching portfolios, for some it was a uncomplicated accounting process and most of them thought it was a very personal task that involved deep reflection about self, life goals, values and teaching. Some participants portfolios were inhabited only by the teacher and students others by colleagues, friends and family. Two general themes emerged from both narratives and portfolios: - The anxieties generated by the portfolios requirements - The emotionally complex exploration of the self as teachers. The participants were concerned about whether the portfolios were public or private. They were worried about the intended audience and the purpose of the portfolios; institutional expectations, professional development tasks or a personal development exercise and the final concern related to what it requires, a simple listing of teaching accomplishment, achievements and professional progress report or documenting the personal sense-making of critical teaching incidents. The participants employed different approaches that suggest attempts at self protection concerns related to participants as individuals. Regarding learning about the self as teacher which is an emotional exploration, the participants experienced a range of emotional responses, for some it was an emotionally charged process, for others it was negative more than positive. For some the task was an emotionally unsettling process directed toward the deeper sense of self and for others it caused realizing and affirming the self as teacher and an enhanced self-efficacy. The findings led to change in the portfolio assessment. It now consists two portfolios, a career portfolio for institutional purposes and a personal one where participants are invited to explore key moment of learning in their teaching career. Here are differen sources that can help us design our own portfolios.
A youtube film about teaching portfolios Creating a teaching portfolio, examples from different universities An example of a teaching portfolio My point of view: In my school, we use a professional portfolio but we call it "Teacher's File". It includes different components like the school’s vision, teacher's classes and weekly schedule, personal information and certificates, students' grades, staff meetings, yearly plan, units' plans and lesson plans, worksheets, tests and tasks. Despite the fact that it requires a lot of work, effort, time and dedication but it is very useful and helpful especially when the teacher is being observed by the principal or the inspector and is asked to present his yearly plan. Every document is there and the teacher just takes it out. As a previous pedagogical coordinator in my school, I began with the idea and today almost all teachers still use it. Reading the article and exploring different articles and sites that talk about portfolios, strengthened the fact that all teachers all over the world share the same fears, worries and conflicts. It is not easy to decide what to include in especially when it deals with the teacher's professional future and career but it opens your mind and shows your own strengths and weaknesses exactly as our students' portfolios reflect.
Final Summary: I am so glad the topic and the article interested my other colleagues. They all think that it is not an easy task and that it requires patience, seriousness, dedication, perseverance and time. In addition they all have the same opinion that a professional portfolio is an excellent tool to review, assess and improve teacher's work. It is also a life-long process and teachers need to adapt themselves to changing demands of time, of the ministry and of the school. However, working on your own portfolio can be really beneficial since it reflects your work and points out to points you need to improve. There is a difference between your students' portfolios and your professional portfolio because your students' portfolios have clear instructions, rubric and reflection designed by you, but your own portfolio is developed and constructed by you. It is up to you to decide what to include and what not to include. Although it might be frustrating but the final result is worth it. There was a question whether new teachers can manage using the portfolio effectively and I believe they can. I seriously think that if a new teacher starts his career preparing his own portfolio then he/she has done a huge step that will lead to success, improvement, development, growth and maturity in his/her work and career.
The article describes a research that was done by Mary Anne FitzPatrick and Dorothy Spiller as a result of three distressed and irritated tertiary teachers’ response to their own experience. The teachers became “learners” when they committed to a postgraduate course of study to tertiary teaching. The three teachers were part of a small group studying toward the Postgraduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching at the University of Waikato in Newzealand. One of the assessment activities was to complete a teaching portfolio which could be used for career purposes and professional development. The teachers taught in different departments of the university and had offices along the same hallway. The three teachers were friends and shared teaching techniques among themselves. They decided to support each other and study in the same program. Each of the three found the portfolio as a challenging task but dealt with it differently. One felt harassed and opposed to it and as a result dealt with it by getting it finished as soon as possible. The second felt confused and anxious and the third felt terrified and frustrated. Both of them struggled longer than the first and for many days but at the end they managed to construct a portfolio. After they finished their portfolios they were very happy and saw that they were good teachers and people. They also noticed things that can help them become better teachers but they were puzzled by how emotionally powerful and strong it was. One teacher confessed her anger to the developer teacher and this is how the research began.
The objectives of the research:
- To consider the implications of teacher emotions for the ways in which teaching portfolios are used in tertiary teaching programs and institutions.
- To explore how such portfolios might be designed to accommodate the emotional aspect of professional development and enable authentic teacher growth.
The Participants:
- Eight participants in the postgraduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching.
- Two of them were of the three mentioned before.
- Six women and two men
- Represented a range tertiary teaching contexts from science to nursing.
The eight participants were asked to complete teaching portfolios which present both summative information about teaching achievements and reflection on their experience and development as teachers. In addition they were asked to write personal narratives about their experiences. Using narrative was based on the intention to better understand the individual experience of compilation and collection of the portfolio.
Method: established qualitative methods. First narratives and portfolios were read thoroughly, and then data were categorized according to the labels. The different categories were analyzed for common themes, metaphors and so on. This step led to the identification of the general theme relating emotions in the participants’ experiences.
Findings and Discussion:
There were variations in how participants shaped their teaching portfolios and how they expressed their experiences. This creates a background that help more understand how they lived their teaching portfolios, for some it was a uncomplicated accounting process and most of them thought it was a very personal task that involved deep reflection about self, life goals, values and teaching. Some participants portfolios were inhabited only by the teacher and students others by colleagues, friends and family. Two general themes emerged from both narratives and portfolios:
- The anxieties generated by the portfolios requirements
- The emotionally complex exploration of the self as teachers.
The participants were concerned about whether the portfolios were public or private. They were worried about the intended audience and the purpose of the portfolios; institutional expectations, professional development tasks or a personal development exercise and the final concern related to what it requires, a simple listing of teaching accomplishment, achievements and professional progress report or documenting the personal sense-making of critical teaching incidents. The participants employed different approaches that suggest attempts at self protection concerns related to participants as individuals. Regarding learning about the self as teacher which is an emotional exploration, the participants experienced a range of emotional responses, for some it was an emotionally charged process, for others it was negative more than positive. For some the task was an emotionally unsettling process directed toward the deeper sense of self and for others it caused realizing and affirming the self as teacher and an enhanced self-efficacy. The findings led to change in the portfolio assessment. It now consists two portfolios, a career portfolio for institutional purposes and a personal one where participants are invited to explore key moment of learning in their teaching career.
Here are differen sources that can help us design our own portfolios.
an example of the portfolio
A youtube film about teaching portfolios
Creating a teaching portfolio, examples from different universities
An example of a teaching portfolio
My point of view:
In my school, we use a professional portfolio but we call it "Teacher's File". It includes different components like the school’s vision, teacher's classes and weekly schedule, personal information and certificates, students' grades, staff meetings, yearly plan, units' plans and lesson plans, worksheets, tests and tasks. Despite the fact that it requires a lot of work, effort, time and dedication but it is very useful and helpful especially when the teacher is being observed by the principal or the inspector and is asked to present his yearly plan. Every document is there and the teacher just takes it out. As a previous pedagogical coordinator in my school, I began with the idea and today almost all teachers still use it. Reading the article and exploring different articles and sites that talk about portfolios, strengthened the fact that all teachers all over the world share the same fears, worries and conflicts. It is not easy to decide what to include in especially when it deals with the teacher's professional future and career but it opens your mind and shows your own strengths and weaknesses exactly as our students' portfolios reflect.
Final Summary:
I am so glad the topic and the article interested my other colleagues. They all think that it is not an easy task and that it requires patience, seriousness, dedication, perseverance and time. In addition they all have the same opinion that a professional portfolio is an excellent tool to review, assess and improve teacher's work. It is also a life-long process and teachers need to adapt themselves to changing demands of time, of the ministry and of the school. However, working on your own portfolio can be really beneficial since it reflects your work and points out to points you need to improve. There is a difference between your students' portfolios and your professional portfolio because your students' portfolios have clear instructions, rubric and reflection designed by you, but your own portfolio is developed and constructed by you. It is up to you to decide what to include and what not to include. Although it might be frustrating but the final result is worth it. There was a question whether new teachers can manage using the portfolio effectively and I believe they can. I seriously think that if a new teacher starts his career preparing his own portfolio then he/she has done a huge step that will lead to success, improvement, development, growth and maturity in his/her work and career.